Myth or Fact

The Wendigo

The Wendigo is a mythical creature that is bipedal, can reach up to fifteen feet, glowing eyes, long yellowish canine teeth and a hyper-extened tounge. In Native American mythology, the Wendigo was once a great warrior. When the Wendigo was faced with an enemy he could not defeat he could give his soul for power. Once the threat was gone, he had to leave his tribe and is forced to wander the countryside. He is also cursed with a taste for human flesh. It is also said that those who consume human flesh will be transformed into a Wendigo. Below is a woman’s account of her encounter with the Wendigo:

My husband and I recently moved to a new town about 10 kilometers outside of the town we lived in before. As we have moved around a lot, and lived in many different houses and cities, we have had very many encounters with the paranormal.(On my mother’s side of the family we are all Romanian gypsies, and most of the members in my family are mediums and have very special gifts. I happen to have such a gift as being a medium.) When I was a child I saw many things I could not explain, and most would scare the hell out of me. I would see spirits on a regular basis, and I have come to learn to live with this “gift” as most people call it. I did not see it as a gift, until my great grandmother explained to me our history, and many of my ancestors have the same gift, and other gifts as well. My most recent encounter was when we moved to a small town called Fort Kent, Alberta. It was our first night in our new home in the farm lands of Fort Kent. Our home was built in 1918, so it is very old, but also extremely gorgeous! I was getting my daughter ready for bed, and the upstairs window was open for the day as we were moving stuff into our home. I heard what sounded like wolves in the distance, but I was raised in the woods, and a pack of wolves didn’t sound like this. It sounded like a high-pitched screeching, mixed with children laughing loudly. As I walked out of the bathroom with my daughter, I looked into the woods of my backyard, just as I glanced I saw a tall, white-furred mammal. It wasn’t an animal, and it wasn’t a person, it was a mix in between a human and a dog. As scared as I was, I ran downstairs with my daughter in my arms, and I told my husband about it. He agreed that we should look up the history of the town in the archives at the Fort Kent Library the following day. The next day we didn’t unpack like normal people would do, we packed up our daughter and went to the village library to read up on the history of Fort Kent. And as it is written in the archives of the Town Back in 1920, A young doctor and his wife had moved to Fort Kent during the war From England. He started up an in-home practice to help the people of Fort Kent, since The Cold Lake Air Force and weapons base was only 20 minutes away. His practice was successful until a swarm of rats came into the town carrying a plague of small pox and infected half of the town with this plague. The Doctor treated these people but couldn’t do anymore as he knew they were going to die. The Doctor’s wife happened to get the plague as well, and when she died he locked himself in his house, not accepting any patients, and he built a shrine with his wife’s lifeless body. As the Indians of the area have warned people in this town about the spirit of the “Wendigo” which preys on weak souls, possesses them, and when such a thing possesses you, you tend to crave and eat the flesh of your own beings… humans. The doctor became insane, and the townsfolk didn’t know the doctor’s wife had passed away. The doctor slowly invited one person after another to his home, killed them, and ate them. Once the town’s people started to notice more and more people were going missing, they were suspecting. So the doctor went on a rampage on the town of Fort Kent. He killed and ate all but 11 people in 1921. He ate their flesh, and left a pile of bones. In 1921 it was recorded that 150 people had lived here, and no one had seen the doctor. It’s told that he ran off into the woods leaving everything in his home behind, and that he was possessed by the Wendigo. The townsfolk of Fort Kent say that you can hear him screeching with laughter at night in the woods. I told my neighbor of what I saw in the woods in my back yard and he told me that is the Spirit Wendigo you are seeing. My neighbor’s great grandmother and great grandfather lived here when the massacre had happened. They were part of the 11 people who were spared in 1921. His parents were born and raised out here, as well as he and his children. He tells his kids they have to be inside the house by 6 PM. As my farmer neighbor has told his kids in front of me, “You don’t want the spirit of the Wendigo coming for you when the dark comes, you best be gettin’ in the house and washin’ up for supper.” As he had advised to me, I should be getting indoors before the dark comes. I have studied the spirit of the Wendigo as much as I could to find out, what it looks like, and so forth, but as for it being a spirit.. I have been told that what I had seen in the woods that first night in my home, was the Spirit of the Wendigo. At night time when I am in bed, I still hear the Wendigo’s screeching laughter off into the woods.

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact would rate the Wendigo as 35% plausible, due to lack of photo evidence, its rise in popular culture (which can cause faux stories to pop up), and that it might be mis-identified as your common sasquatch

Great thanks goes to http://thepurplemongoose.tumblr.com/ for submitting MMOF this monster! Thank you!

If you’d like to check out more on this monster go to:
http://www.unknownexplorers.com/wendigo.php

Raven Mockers

Raven mockers are mythical Cheerokee witches and wizards that are half man, half raven. Their presence is often signified by the call like that of a raven, but no ravens being present. They have the power to turn invisible and are said to take the life of those who are dying. It is said that if the cry of raven mocker is heard, then the life of a man will soon be taken. When the raven mockers take the life of a man, they eat the heart in order to add how ever many days or years they took from the person that they killed. There are no documented or known encounters with raven mockers.

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact rates raven mockers as 5% plausible, due to lack of evidence.

Oklahoma Octopus

The Oklahoma Octopus is a creature that is said to live in Lakes Thunderbird, Oolagah, and Tenkiller where it attacks unsuspecting swimmers and drags them down, drowns them and, presumably, eats them. The creature is said to be the size of a horse and to resembles an octopus, with reddish-brown leathery skin. If there are any encounters with such a creature, non have been officially documented, or no one has survived an encounter.

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact rates the Oklahoma Octopus as 15% plausible, due to the fact that there are no documented encounters and to date there has not even been a small fresh water species of octopus discovered.

If you’d like to look into the Oklahoma Octopus, feel free to go here:
http://www.unknownexplorers.com/oklahomaoctopus.php

Mongolian Death Worm

The Mongolian Death Worm is said to be two to five feet long, be red in color (sometimes with a few darker blotches), and to have spiked projections on both ends. Witnesses say that it resembles a cow’s intestine and it is about as thick as a man’s arm (about three to five inches). It is found in the Gobi desert and it is said that it can spit sulfuric acid from its mouth, which can kill a human on contact. It is also said that its tail can conduct electricity and can electrocute its prey at a distance. Here is and explorer’s account:“Sausage-like worm over half a metre (20 inches) long, and thick as a man’s arm, resembling the intestine of cattle. Its tail is short, as [if] it were cut off, but not tapered. It is difficult to tell its head from its tail because it has no visible eyes, nostrils or mouth. Its colour is dark red, like blood or salami… It moves in odd ways – either it rolls around or squirms sideways, sweeping its way about. It lives in desolate sand dunes and in the hot valleys of the Gobi desert with saxaul plants underground. It is possible to see it only during the hottest months of the year, June and July; later it burrows into the sand and sleeps. It gets out on the ground mainly after the rain, when the ground is wet. It is dangerous, because it can kill people and animals instantly at a range of several metres.”

One theory is that the worm is a kind of electric eel, another is that it’s a kind of spitting snake.

In conclusion monster-myth-or-fact rates the Mongolian Death Worm 45% plausible due to that fact that scientists have actually put time into searching for this creature.

If you would like to look into the Mongolian Death Worm, please feel free to start here:
http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Mongolian+Deathworm

Skinwalker

A Skinwalker is a person who can transform into any animal they please, but they have to be wearing the pelt/material of/from the animal to do so. They are said to be evil and are often seeking revenge on a certain person or family. They can escape any situation by transforming into an appropriate form, such as, perhaps, a bird. It is also said that if you look one in the eye, you will die or they will steal your skin or body. Skinwalkers differ from werewolves due to the fact that they are not moon bound ( have to change with the phases of the moon) and can transform whenever they want to. The Skin Walker is most often seen as a coyote, bear, mountain lion, owl, wolf, fox, or crow. Below is a possible encounter with Skinwalkers at Skin Walker Ranch, Utah:

In the mid 1990’s, a rancher and his family decided to purchase a 480 acre piece of isolated property in the Uinta Mountains region of Northeastern Utah with the intent to raise cattle. Soon after, the family began experiencing various forms of paranormal activity on the property and in their home. The Sherman family spent nearly two years at the Skinwalker ranch before the stress from their experiences caused them to put the property up for sale. In that time their cattle were being mutilated, their dogs were found incinerated, and the family reported seeing strange objects with lights hovering over their property. The Shermans were also terrified by the ongoing poltergeist-like activities happening inside their home. Doors often slammed shut, objects would disappear and later reappear, and strange sounds were heard coming from beneath their property that resembled movement of heavy machinery. The family even claimed to have encountered a number of strange creatures on their property on several occasions. Creatures resembling Bigfoot, the alien from the movie Predator, and wolf-like animals were all reported with great detail. Mr. Sherman even recalled shooting at a large wolf-like animal while it was trying to attack one of the calves just days after moving to the ranch. According to Mr. Sherman, the bullets had no effect and the animal ran off. Two years of this and the family called it quits. The property sold and was purchased by The National Institute for Discovery Science when they caught wind of the strange and terrifying paranormal events unfolding at the ranch. NIDS, which funds studies into the paranormal, set up a team of scientists and sent them to the ranch to study the phenomena reported there. According to researchers George Knapp and Colm Kelleher, along with other scientists there, they witnessed beings coming through ‘portals’ on the property and numerous other bizarre phenomena. In 2005, Hunt for the Skinwalker was published detailing their findings at the ranch. More recently, a Utah based radio talk show host named Steven Rinehart claimed to have visited the ranch in 2006. He took photographs of the ranch and pictures of strange footprints he found in the snow there. I read that his pictures are online along with directions to the ranch, but I found neither. Now, a number of explanations have been given by skeptics on this issue. Some of the skeptics claim that this is the site of a U.S. military testing area and all the activities there are a result of that. The skeptics have also stated that peoples imaginations with the Skinwalker Ranch have been vivid ones turning the ordinary into something out of this world. Also a mass hallucination by the family and researches was another explanation given.

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact the Skinwalker is about 25% plausible, because it was next to impossible to find a good information source, let alone photos, and a plausible-looking encounter.

If you’d like to look more into Skinwalkers please feel free to go here:
http://www.myexistenz.com/x/article15/article1/Skinwalkers.html

Slender Man

Slender Man or Men is a mythical creature who was discovered on Something Awful Forums in a create Paranormal Images contest. He is often described as being six to ten feet tall, clad in a black business suit. His face, of lack there of, often sparks fear in his victims. His arms and legs, along with tentacles that are hidden along his back can stretch to impossible lengths to ensnare his prey. He is often seen in wooded, fairly secluded, and somewhat foggy areas. He has been seen across all the world over and he appears to people who call him or who are afraid of him. Victims who come in contact with the Slender Man often experience symptoms of paranoia, delusions, anxiety, a strange cough, nausea, and eventually the fear of everything. The Slender Man also has a strange effect on audio and video equipment, causing static, the audio to be completely cut out, loud feed back, humming, and strange sirens. His presence is most often associated with the sound of children’s laughter. He is best known for watching, or rather, stalking, people from the sidelines, uncomfortably close or from a distance away. Although the debate continues as to whether he takes his prey to an undisclosed location, a different dimension wages onward, there have been no real documented encounters of Slender Man attacking someone. A theory about the Slender Man is that he is a cephlopod, like a squid, or an octopus. The reason being is that cephlopds can mimick other animal’s behavior, but not perfectly in order to catch prey. Below are a few entries about Slender Man (or so it is assumed):

• A woman’s account in Germany, “My child, my Lars… he is gone. Taken, from his bed. The only thing that we found was a scrap of black clothing. It feels like cotton, but it is softer… thicker. Lars came into my bedroom ysterday, screaming at the top of his lungs that “The angel is outside!” I asked him what he was talking about, and he told me some nonsense fairy story about Der Großmann. He said he went into the groves by our village and found one of my cows dead, hanging from a tree. I thought nothing of it at first… but now, he is gone. We must find Lars, and my family must leave before we are killed. I am sorry, my son… I should have listened. May God forgive me.”
• From a Roman man’s diary, “The tall man stoon in a clearing, dressed as a nobleman, all in black. Shadows lay over him, dark as a cloudy midnight. He had many arms, all long and boneless as snakes, all sharp as swords, and they writhed like worms on nails. He did not speak, but made his intentions known”

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact dubs Slender Man 40% plausible, due to the fact that he was found in a Create Paranormal Images contest on the Internet, but there has been more possible evidence that he exists.

If you would like to research the Slender Man, a great place to start is:
http://slenderman.wikidot.com/slender-man

The Rake

The Rake is a mythical creature whose story was discovered on Something Awful Forums. It is describe as pale and humanoid, with it limbs twisted at odd angles and having long talons to harm its prey. Its movements are often described as canine. Its eyes are described to be black. Its presence is often accompanied by heavy breathing, whispering and loud growls. Witnesses who encounter the Rake, encounter it at night, when it perches near them, awaiting for its victim to awake, if they do not, it will leave demands, often telling the victims to leave. Its voice is high-pitched and somewhat indescribable. One way or another, if its victims do not meet his demands it continually visits them and eventually harm and/or kills them in their slumber.

Here are a few witness encounters:

• (This is a suicide note)
  “As I prepare to take my life, I feel it necessary to assuage any guilt or pain I have introduced through this act. It is not the fault of anyone other than him. For once I awoke and felt his presence. And once I awoke and saw his form. Once again I awoke and heard his voice, and looked into his eyes. I cannot sleep without fear of what I might next awake to experience. I cannot ever wake. Goodbye.” This was found in a wooden box. Found in the same wooden box were two empty envelopes addressed to William and Rose, and one loose personal letter with no envelope:
  “Dearest Linnie, I have prayed for you. He spoke your name.”

• A Journal Entry (translated from Spanish): 1880
  “I have experience the greatest terror. I have experienced the greatest terror. I have experienced the greatest terror. I see his eyes when I close mine. They are hollow. Black. They saw me and pierced me. His wet hand. I will not sleep. His voice (unintelligible text).”

In conclusion, monster-myth-or-fact would rate the Rake as 20% plausible, due to the fact that, not only it this a creature of the Internet, but it was discovered on Something Awful Forums, in a create paranormal photos contest.

If you would like to do some research on your own, a great place to get started is: http://everymanhybrid.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rake